Retro Spins: W.A.S.P. - Inside The Electric Circus

 

With lead guitarist, and co-founding member Randy Piper gone, seats were shuffled internally for W.A.S.P. Blackie Lawless would return to rhythm guitar, and Chris Holmes would shift to lead guitar. This left the position of bassist open, which Johnny Rod would step in to fill.

Though their momentum was climbing, the content of their music, and visuals of their live shows painted a large target on their backs for the PMRC, who began publicly denouncing the band. This led to a lot of trouble for them, as planned venues would receive backlash, and even bomb threats. The band members themselves received hundreds of death threats, and Lawless was even shot at twice, though never hit. All of this negativity, and free publicity, did nothing more than fuel their popularity, which continued to grow.

Inside the Electric Circus was released in 1986, and with it came a massive support tour, including shows with Iron Maiden, Raven, Slayer, and Saxon. Though the album would be a hit among fans, critics would not be so kind, labeling it "7th grader rock." This criticism would hit Lawless the most, who upon reading about it prompted him to take a break and reevaluate the band's creative direction. In later re-releases of the album, liner notes would include Lawless stating that the album was, "a tired record from a tired band."

My initial listening session was interrupted by track six (of twelve). While this is something that would prompt me to restart the album, I honestly didn't feel inclined to. Mainly because by this point, I hadn't heard anything that necessarily tickled my fancy. As such, I simply picked up where I left off when I got back to it.

Overall, it just felt like a pretty basic and generic album. Lyrics like those for Mantronics come off as silly, and really put that 7th grader aspect noted above in a spotlight:

Mantronic, I'm on the loose
Bionic, my neck in the noose
Mantronic, I'm still the king
Bionic, half man and machine

It's goofy, and as a result, can't be taken seriously. None of this is helped by a grown man screaming like he just stubbed his entire foot on the side of a bed. I can definitely side with the critics on this one and can see why rethinking the band's direction was needed.

Taking a break from recording didn't mean the band was sitting idle. They not only continued to tour, but released the live album, Live...In The Raw (1987). However, during this period, several lineup changes occurred.

Drummer Steve Riley would be the first to depart, leaving to join the band, L.A. Guns. He was replaced by Chad Nelson. Glenn Soderling would then replace him but not perform with the band as Holmes would fall ill, halting shows. Soderling would leave shortly thereafter, replaced by Kelly Martella. However, he too would leave in 1988 and join the band Silent Rage.

Without a drummer in place, W.A.S.P. returned to the studio to record what would become their highest selling album of all time, 1989's The Headless Children. It would be the first to not feature any overly sexualized content and pave the way for a new era of the band, one often drenched in political topics. It would also wrap up their 80's era, and my journey through their discography. But that all happens tomorrow, when I actually play through it.

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